‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ Movie Update [Video]

With Fox’s most anticipated movie of 2016 coming to theaters this summer, fans are already bursting to get their hands on any new information to spoil X-Men: Apocalypse. Director Bryan Singer already knows that most fans and tabloids will find a way to leak any details of the flick to bring in more attention, so Singer decided to take to the press to clear up any rumors and give some nice teasers of what moviegoers can expect in the upcoming, epic film.

Speaking with Slashfilm on many of X-Men: Apocalypse updates, Singer mentioned many revelations that the X-Men will undergo throughout the film and gave up some more details concerning many of the plot points in relation to the intricate cast. Beginning from what viewers gathered from the trailer, which has already taken in over 38 million views since its debut in December, the opening may allude more to Jean Grey (played by Sophie Turner) and her pre-cognitive abilities.

Before Singer jumped ship after the release of X2: X-Men United, the director dropped several hints that the fabled phoenix was rising within Jean Grey’s character. After he parted ways to work on the film Superman Returns, director Brett Ratner, of X-Men: The Last Stand, explored the acclaimed Dark Phoenix Saga, much to the fans’ dismay. This subpar film adaptation later led to the return of Singer to the series and the well-received reboot/sequel, X-Men: Days of Future Past. Although Singer did not confirm that the phoenix will make her appearance in the upcoming film, he did mention that it is a storyline that he would like to explore and there are some pieces to that story in this movie as well.

Making sure not to give too much away, Singer continued by spilling more updates about the intricate love stories that would be taking place. Considering that the young Jean Grey and Scott Summers will be making their appearance in this upcoming movie, there is no surprise that viewers will get a chance to see their teamwork and building of trust. Spoiling a scene in the movie, the director described Jean helps Scott manage his powers on the battlefield. Since the film is set in 1983, the teenage heroes are still learning to adjust to their powers. Over time, when Scott takes off his glasses, he unleashes a powerful optic blast but he can not see what he is trying to hit. Jean decides to step in, grab the back of his head, guides his head as his eyes are closed, and uses him as target practice as they try to take down an airborne enemy. Singer also mentioned that Mystique (Jennifer Lawerence) will continue to play a pivotal role in the film and he will explore more of her romance with Beast (Nicholas Hoult).

As some familiar faces make their way back onto the big screen in X-Men: Apocalypse, some new faces also will grace the halls of the Xavier institute. Cult-favorite Jubilation Lee, aka Jubilee (played by newcomer Lana Condor), will play a major role in the film. The mallrat teenager’s character will undergo some slight alterations from her comic book counterpart. The actress mentioned to JoBLo that Jubilee will be one of Xavier’s older students at the institute and her powers are no longer just shooting fireworks. The character’s abilities will reflect more of the scientific side of her comic book powers of fire-plasmoid and electricity. Other than the modification to her powers and background story, the character will still sport her signature yellow jacket, and possibly, the same valley girl attitude of her comic book alter ego that was first introduced in the early ’90s.

As far the main villain Apocalypse, Singer had plenty to divulge about the mythos of the powerful figure. Diving more into the direction he wanted to take with Apocalypse and his four henchmen/horsemen, Singer provided a unique and elaborate spin, not the characters’ motivations. Similar to his comic counterpart, Apocalypse’s long history roaming the earth and being the first mutant has garnered him many followers and/or formations of cults (Clan Akkaba in the comics). Like any cult leader, a God-like complex begins to form as more worshippers flock to him. From this idea, Singer explained that, like the God of the Old Testament, he always had four horsemen with him that could also metaphorically represent four factions within a cult.

The four factions center on politics, military, sexuality, and youth. From the looks of the trailer, viewers already know that the four horsemen are comprised of Storm, Magneto, Psylocke, and Archangel. A discouraged Magneto will fill the role of the political faction. Archangel will fill the militant role as a kind of protector. Psylocke (played by Olivia Munn) will fill the sexual role. Not sexual in the terms of prostitution, but more in the sense that her character is always searching for the right love and ends up seduced by Apocalypse. All that is left is Storm, who will have a Kenyan accent and will fill the youthful role, as her character is still a teenager. As such, she is more easily influenced by Apocalypse’s teachings and guidance. Since Apocalypse’s greatest abilities will be the power of persuasion and amplifying other mutant powers, it would not take much for him to recruit a strong and willing team to oppose the X-Men.

It seems that Singer has put a lot of time and thought into making the idea of Apocalypse’s character just as menacing on-screen as he is in the comics, if not more. Hopefully, his appearance and dialogue will reinforce the interesting supporting cast around him. The updates from the upcoming film already make the flick sound like it will explore more than just computer animated graphic. There should be some interesting dialogue about religion and cultism as well. Considering that Days of Future Past was so well-received by fans and critics, it will be no surprise if Apocalypse ends up doing the same. For now, fans will have to infer what they can from the latest trailer, which can be viewed below. Only time will tell how the audience will take in the upcoming film when it hits theaters on May 27, 2016.